Discernment lesson: ‘I don’t agree with everything she says, but let’s not attack her’
By Elizabeth Prata
When tolerance isn’t warranted
This is a common comment from women responding to discernment issues: “I don’t agree with everything she says, but let’s not attack her”. Also, “I don’t agree with all that she teaches, but she’s a sister so let’s treat her like one.”
Both of these comments indicate that the person needs a deeper understanding of what discernment is. They also need more fully to understand the words attack and agree.
The REAL attack
What these women don’t know, or refuse to see, is that the false teacher is actually the attacker. She is attacking the faith either overtly as a ravenous wolf, or covertly as a moth chews in the dark and only when exposed to light we see the garment is full of holes. The discernment people are the ones shining the light and saying, ‘she’s a wolf, devouring the unwary!’ or, ‘she’s a moth, destroying the fabric of someone’s faith!’
False teachers are spoken of in every New Testament book (except Philemon). Thus, the Holy Spirit obviously spent much time advising, warning, and teaching about the dangers of these wolves and moths.
“The word “moth” occurs 7 times in the Old Testament, in Job, Psalms, Isaiah and Hosea, always in figurative expressions, typifying either that which is destructive (Job 13:28; Psalms 39:11; Isaiah 50:9; 51:8; Hosea 5:12) or that which is frail (Job 4:19; 27:18).” The mother moth lays the eggs, but “the adult is only indirectly harmful, as it is only in the larval stage that the insect injures clothing.” Source Bible Study Tools
So that means at first you don’t see the damage. It’s done invisibly. By the time you see the adult moth, the damage has been done. This is why the Spirit dispensed a spiritual gift of discernment to some, who can see the larvae before they do the damage. They can see the wolves lined up in the shadows of the tree line before they devour the faithful.
It’s why you should listen to your discernment people. Not blindly, but take heed.
We are all familiar with the verse in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” The false ones come in sheep’s clothing. They say and do things that attempt to make them blend in. But so did Judas. They will say they love Jesus- repeatedly. They will appear to be godly- consistently. They spout scripture. So did satan when tempting Christ.
They do things that on the surface seem appropriate for a sheep. But if you look carefully, they have dregs of meat in their teeth. Do sheep eat meat? No. If you listen to their utterances, there will be a howl behind that bleat, it doesn’t sound like a normal bleat. This is what sheep’s clothing means.
Another verse that spells it our further is that one from 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
They masquerade. Their show of godliness is only a put-on. It’s a show. No matter how effective the mask and costume, there are always hints that it’s not real. Look for those hints, eventually they grow into flags and then you can unmask the deceiver.
Too many women accept a false teacher’s profession of faith on the face of it, putting more weight on the profession from the false teacher than they put in the scriptures that show how to discern the wolf from the sheep, the moth from the butterfly.
The deceiver, the false teacher is ATTACKING you. She is ATTACKING the faith. Wolves like Lori Alexander, Beth Moore, Jennie Allen of IF:Gathering and so on, are the attackers. They are attacking Jesus.
The seem gentle and nice and helpful, but they are among those “who will secretly bring in destructive heresies.” (2 Peter 2:1b).
See? They operate secret agendas that are in fact destructive to the faith because they are heresies.
If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a sick craving for controversial questions and disputes about words, from which come envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5and constant friction between people of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain... (1 Timothy 6:3-8)
See? These women are conceited, puffed up, they love quarrels and strife, they’re ignorant (understands nothing), and are actually sick, nosōn, in craving strife.
They are attackers, destroyers, assaulters. When discerning people point out their destructiveness, we are not attacking them. We are defending the faith, protecting the sheep, warning the sisterhood that there is danger. It must be said, if you defend a false teacher for any reason, please examine where your real allegiance lies.
This is important: 2 Timothy 4:3 says that false teachers don’t just appear out of nowhere for no reason. They appear and stay because the undiscerning with diverse lusts prop them up. If you defend a false teacher, you’re part of the problem.
For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,
The real ‘agreeing’
It’s not a matter of “agreeing”. It’s a matter of submitting.
First of all, no one at any time or anywhere in any sphere agrees with “everything they say.” Do you agree with everything your boss says? Your mother? The President? No, of course not. You likely don’t even agree with everything your pastor says or does. Uniformity of content is a phantom. So stop prefacing a defense of a false teacher by saying, “I don’t agree with everything she says but…” You have failed even before you get to the ‘but’.
But what? You are willing to taste her meal even though there’s poison in it? If there was a pan of brownies served to you and the baker said, ‘I mixed a little poop in here but you should be all right to eat from this corner.’ Would you? No! You throw the WHOLE PAN out because the whole pan is polluted. ‘A little leaven spoils the whole lump’.
Did Paul accept the true words from the demon-possessed slave girl? “She followed Paul and us and cried out repeatedly, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17)
No! Why not? The words are true but Jesus doesn’t need truth to come from lying lips. So whatever parts you may “agree” with the false teacher just remember it comes from polluted lips.
Many people say “I don’t agree with what they teach but she’s a sister…” This is backward. It is not a matter of agree or not agreeing with the teacher. Its a matter of submitting to what the word of God says.
The agreement part should be “I don’t follow this teacher because what she teaches does not AGREE with the Bible.”
Now here’s an interesting notion: Even IF a teacher teaches all that is correct in the Bible, if she lives a life at odds with behavioral standards, she is a false teacher. She must be humble, teachable, living in peace and harmony with others, or good character. Numerous verses attest to this. The primary one is that anyone who is not these things cannot “teach what is good” because they are living bad.
If someone is preaching heaven but living like hell, avoid her. Doctrine matters, and so does behavior.
Ladies, a false teacher who won’t see her error and won’t repent is not a sister. There are ONLY sheep and goats. If a teacher has been teaching something that is pointed out to her as error, the Holy Spirit inside them will prick their conscience and illuminate the scriptures to them. She will correct it. She will hasten to correct it – because Jesus is too precious to her.
If it’s a false teacher, there is no Holy Spirit in her and she will continue teaching falsely. Do you suppose that a teacher who has the Spirit in her can or would resist Him and continue to teach falsely for decades? No. Not possible. Holy Spirit absolutely would not allow this.
If there is a teacher who refuses correction, is unteachable, proud, she is false, not a sister.
Peacemakers
Women tend to be peacemakers, nurturers, and relational. Many women are hesitant to engage in something controversial. Women like to look for the good in someone. In discernment, we have to overcome these natural tendencies sometimes, and engage in warfare, which is always uncomfortable.
Discernment is spiritual warfare. Not against people, and many times not even against external philosophies (though it is, says Ephesians 6:12), but warfare is to suppress our own tendency to overlook sin and to paper over what should remain a schism. We gird ourselves with the truth that offends.
Discernment means wrestling and striving, resisting any philosophies, concepts, or traditions that oppose Jesus. If a person resists delving into why so many people are saying this women or that women is false, then sadly, you might have an idol. NOTHING should come between you and your Savior. If you do delve and notice more than a few errors, but still support the false teacher, sadly, you may have an idol. Do you love the false teacher more than Jesus? Examine yourself.
For most women, discernment simply means working toward consuming meat and training one’s self in distinguishing the healthy from the unhealthy. Most women don’t need to wade into controversies online or raise issues at their home church. Romans 16:17 says of the false teacher to turn away from them. Just don’t consume their output, don’t follow them online, don’t attend parachurch meetings where they’re taught, leave Facebook groups that promote them. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 says to keep away from the undisciplined brother (and sister).
Pray for discernment, stay in the word of God, fellowship with wise saints, and all this will become easier over time. Then finally, heaven! No false teachers will be there and nothing will impugn the good Name of Jesus ever again!
